Building the Box – Open Revolt Controller Case

by Ben N on March 28, 2012

Rough layout for motor controller case

I started planning out the rough design of the clear plastic case for the 500 amp Open Revolt controller case.

I finally got my student copy of Adobe Illustrator, and am just starting to figure out how to use it. The laser at the Milwaukee Makerspace is all controlled using vector files, so I need to do my layout in Illustrator or similar software.

I started off using the BOX software that another Makerspace Member used, and then brought the PDF file into Illustrator to flatten the bottom of the sides (as the controller’s heat sink will be the “bottom side” of the box.) I also imported the official Open Revolt logo to be etched in the middle of the image, and rotated everything to match each other.

I need to figure out how I’ll embed the green LEDs to illuminate the engraved image, but this is just a rough start to give you an idea of what I’m working on. Seems like everything I always do is for the first time, and I make it up as I go. This seems no different. Oh well, I’ll sculpt this thing up and then figure out how to improve the next one. Please see the image and send any good ideas my way. The case is laid out for using 3/16th” material.